Hardy[SA] all I ever used except for one Fin Nor which was overgunning for anything less than humpbacks..Got to admit the Hardy multiplier was a bad buy-froze up on what looked to be a six pd brown so I polluted the Yellowstone with the reel.

It a trout, steelies, or pike pulls harder than my finger can hold I give them line. Once they are done running, and pull them back in.

gfen,I bet your a fisherman who like to play the fish, because it's sporty. You just like the feel of a fish on then end of your glass rod. You like it so much you keep them on to near-death exhaustion. Then, you just wind them in.

MKern wrote:I bet your a fisherman who like to play the fish, because it's sporty. You just like the feel of a fish on then end of your glass rod. You like it so much you keep them on to near-death exhaustion. Then, you just wind them in.

You are correct, I shall play them until they finally come to my feet, belly up, showing me they are the loser to my ultimate manhood. I then proudly grasp them by the gills, hoist them to the sky and shout CROM! like I'm Conan the BarbarianAngler.

I will then remove the hook with my teeth and hurl them bodily back into the water... I try to torpedo them in so the water forces through their gills and gives them the kiss of life, but sometimes they belly flop.

On an actual serious note, I often wonder if I'm doing it wrong because I never seem to have much in the way of epic fighting fish with long plays, and I can't think I've ever had to revive one.

I'm gonna bet its the way I empower them with CROM! or its because I only catch dinks.

IMO: the reel market is glutted with anything your pocketbook can bear. If you have never seen a fish make a reel "smoke" it's a sight to behold. Those high class Tarpon guides spend the $ just to avoid reel failures. As far as the "old days" the Sea masters and Fin nor wedding cakes were the reels of choice.The old seamasters are about $3k. Reel choice for Pa.IMO. what your pocket can afford.

EDIT: Abels are designed from Seamaster.

Posted on: 2011/3/29 17:31

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"Being brilliant is no great feat if you respect nothing."von Goethe

Guessing that you're not looking at their 'trout' reels?When I was shopping for a new reel, the smallest Abel TR series was on my short list for a 2wt setup I was putting together...and I'm sure I was finding that reel for under $200, it was definitely cheaper than an English made Hardy Fly or Featherweight.

Abel makes a great reel. If your wallet can handle it, then get one and use it for the rest of your life. Their trout reels are not outrageously priced for a high quality, domestically made reel. I know they've been in the saltwater game for quite a while, and if I was looking at a lifetime purchase for a reel in the 8-10wt realm, I'd be looking at Abel, or a big old Hardy Perfect, would depend on the rod, fresh or salt....

Anyways, if you get it, and it's not what you're expecting, if you shop wisely initially, you shouldn't take too big a hit if you need to flip it on the Swap or auction it down the road.

I can and I will. The finsih looks cheap, the metal looks like cast pot metal, they have weird arms all over the spools and the way in which they counter balance the handle looks awful.

I like high tech looking super large arbour reels, but not those.

I like the Sage Click reels for appearance. Spindly, little less spastic with the holes. Whereas the Sage 3200, the prior version of the Click, looks worse than the Lamsons.

Dear gfen,

I'll second that, the reel in the picture is ugly and looks like it was designed by Ari T. Hart? Hideous isn't even an accurate description for the looks of that reel. It may be the greatest reel on Earth but I simply can't get past the looks of it.

Abel makes a very nice reel and by and large they look like a fly reel is supposed to look to a mope like me. But I don't own any and likely never will because to me they are grossly unnecessary. I see them as the equivalent of driving a Gelandwagen to French Creek in Chester County.

Don't any let yourself be kidded by the fact that "guides" have them on their boats and use them. A lot of that has more to do with sponsorships and hefty guide discounts than it does with a profound love for the perfect piece of equipment.

There are guides that still fish their 20 year old SA System 2's and they are pretty damn proud of the fact that they are still working eventhough they look like crap.

If you want one then by all means get one, but don't try to tell other people that they need one, that sounds too much like someone trying to justify an unnecessary expense to me than it does like an actual endorsement.

Regards,

Tim Murphy

Posted on: 2011/3/29 20:03

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"Then the coal company came with the world's largest shovel, and they tortured the timber and stripped all the land. Well they dug for their coal till the land was forsaken, then they wrote it all down as the progress of man."

The finish on the Lamson's does look cheap but it isn't. You could play street hockey with that reel then hit it with a green scrub pad and take out all of the scuffs. Pretty sweet idea and virtually indestructible. I've been researching them and my next reel may be a Lamson. The Vanquish is WAAAAYYYY over the top though.

Posted on: 2011/3/30 17:07

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Starting my second year fly fishing.... so take it easy on me!

Wmass wrote:I just got a catalogue in the mail and it looks like some of these reels go for about 600-800 bucks, are they really worth the money? I love the look of them and the custom paint, but thats alot of cash.

Mr. Hertzer,

I have no doubt of this fact, but sometimes ugliness does not transcend, and form takes precedence over function. I won't own a Glock for sheer ugliness, nor will I take a Lamson.

Scratches from use are badges of honour, street hockey falls outside the bounds of standard use.

I shall continue to abscond the Lamson reels, although if someone gives me an LP series, I'll fish it.

Y'know the M1911 is 100 years and two days old? Go shoot one into the air to celebrate. Then pick up your combat Tupperware and tell me its not the suck.

Although, I did buy a plastic pistol, a Spring XD9 5". Its got all the benefits of the plastic and the striker, but with a proper thumb safety and a grip safety just like the JMB classic. Also, a real grip angle.

So yes, yes I am cutting on Glocks. They're but one step higher than the Hi-Point on the list of ugly.

And the Single Action Army is king of the world.

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So the vanquish might be a bit over the top but if I had use, and the money I'd own one.

Same for an Abel, but it doesn't mean the Lamson ain't pig ugly.

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I understand to a point form over function, in some cases, but lets be honest here.... you drive a Honda Element...

Right, you'd think I can go beyond looks to utility, but sometimes, you just can't past the looks.